The injection of bioactive agents and tissue augmentation fillers is quite commonplace. Commonly, bioactive agents and tissue augmentation fillers are injected manually using traditional hypodermic syringes with manual plungers. One monumental problem with traditional syringes is that they are difficult to properly utilize due to their poor ergonomics.
Another problem commonly encountered when using hypodermic syringes with manual plungers is the difficulty of controlling the rate of injection, especially when the injectable substance is highly viscous, the tissue being injected into is dense or a combination of the two. In such cases, the force required to extrude the injectable substance into a patient makes controlling the rate of injection and the handling of the syringe strikingly difficult. Commonly, unreliable injection speeds are encountered as well as patient pain associated with additional axial force on the syringe in an effort to supply sufficient extrusion force to the syringe's plunger to force the injectable substance out of the needle into the patient's tissues.
Another problem with injectable substances relates to reconstitution prior to injection. Certain substances need to be reconstituted immediately prior to injection. Patient discomfort with injections can lie in anticipation of the injection itself, and therefore, lead to a tense patient and hence more discomfort upon injection. As such, manually reconstituting an injectable just prior to injection can cause both mental and physical discomfort for a patient. A device that can automatically reconstitute injectables within the device itself just prior to injection would be a promising technology.